What is "the small ball"?

It is a cooking stage for sugar. The sugar is done when a drop, cooled in cold water, can be rolled into a small, soft ball between thumb and index finger.

How do I test it without a thermometer?

Dip your index finger in cold water, then quickly into the boiling sugar and immediately back into the cold water. Try to roll the sugar into a ball between your fingers.

Is it safe to put a finger into boiling sugar?

The finger must be thoroughly wet with cold water and the motion quick, as the recipe describes. To be completely safe, use a spoon to drip a little sugar into a bowl of cold water and roll the ball there.

Where does this method come from?

From Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (Great Cookbook) (1914), p. 449, in the section on sugar work and decoration.

The Small Ball

The finger test for "the small ball" (the soft-ball stage in sugar cooking): dip a finger in cold water, into the sugar, and into the water again; when the sugar can be rolled into a soft ball, the stage is reached.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 449 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

The ball test is the stage used for fondant, marzipan glaze, and soft caramels. Erken describes the old finger test that requires quick hands and cold water close by.

How to make it

1
Prepare the test
Have a bowl of cold water ready beside the pot.
2
Take the test
Dip your index finger in cold water, then quickly into the sugar and immediately back into the water.
3
Judge the sugar
When the sugar can be rolled into a ball between thumb and index finger, the sugar has boiled to the small ball.

Changes from the original

No ingredient list in the original; the technique is rewritten into steps in modern language.

Tidsmaskin – hva endret seg?

Velg to utgaver og se hva Henriette Schønberg Erken la til, fjernet eller endret mellom dem.

Fra1914 1949 Modernisert

Til1914 1949 Modernisert

1914 (korrekturlest, s. 449) → 1949 (korrekturlest, s. 512)~24% av teksten endretfjernetlagt til

~~Dyp~~ Dypp pekefingeren i koldt ~~vand,~~ vann, derefter i sukkeret og igjen hurtig i ~~vandet. Naar~~ vannet. Når sukkeret kan rulles til kule mellem tommel- og pekefingeren, er sukkeret kokt til den lille kule.

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Frequently asked questions

What is "the small ball"?: It is a cooking stage for sugar. The sugar is done when a drop, cooled in cold water, can be rolled into a small, soft ball between thumb and index finger.
How do I test it without a thermometer?: Dip your index finger in cold water, then quickly into the boiling sugar and immediately back into the cold water. Try to roll the sugar into a ball between your fingers.
Is it safe to put a finger into boiling sugar?: The finger must be thoroughly wet with cold water and the motion quick, as the recipe describes. To be completely safe, use a spoon to drip a little sugar into a bowl of cold water and roll the ball there.
Where does this method come from?: From Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (Great Cookbook) (1914), p. 449, in the section on sugar work and decoration.

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